Don't we already do that for the most part?
by elcortez01 (2022-05-24 20:50:28)

In reply to: Time to increase delivery by rail.  posted by GoldCoastIrish

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That siad, I'm all for more rail, both personal and freight.

It's being pushed more - normally 35% of Los Angeles/Long
by SixShutouts66  (2022-05-24 22:01:59)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Beach containers go by rail. I didn't include a link for that, but I did for ongoing plans to expand rail shipping.

One issue that the US has is that a lot of the railways are single-tracked, which can cause delays when a train has to sit at a siding to let another one pass. Unfortunately during the downturn in rail traffic, a lot of dual tracks were ripped out to save on maintenance.

I can remember as a youngster stopped at a rail crossing and counting the number of rail cars that went by (as many as 200 IIRC).
I'm surprised it's that low out of a port like LA/Long Beach
by elcortez01  (2022-05-24 22:07:38)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Wonder what percent of those that go by tuck are local? I'd guess pretty high. I'd also be curious to know what the breakdown is on rail usage by imported containers vs. "domestic" shipments.
Here's the link on rail usage at Los Angeles/:ong Beach
by SixShutouts66  (2022-05-24 23:01:05)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Perhaps other ports are better. You have a valid point about what distance and speed of delivery make rail or trucks a better choice. Some of the recent rail changes have sped up the route through the cities. I know that there are hge warehouse facilities in neighboring counties, such as the facilities in the city of Banning. Presumably these are rail delivery and distribution facilities.

Oakland has a much lower train usage at its port (10% vs 50% for Los Angeles) I know there's an inconsistency between my reported 35% and this. The supply chain crisis seemed a perfect storm with empty containers piling up in the ports awaiting transport back to the Far East and the ships they were to go on were waiting offshore for space to unload their containers.